


Sisters

by SunnyD_lite



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Genre: Gen, season 5
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-04-05
Updated: 2010-04-05
Packaged: 2017-10-08 17:58:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,416
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/78063
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SunnyD_lite/pseuds/SunnyD_lite
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sister shopping for school supplies. Yup just another Slayer Saturday.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sisters

**Author's Note:**

> Set: After The Real Me Sn 5  
> TamingtheMuse Prompt: Barbeque

Buffy had just finished pouring herself a bowl of cereal when her mom looked up from her coffee mug.

"Honey—"

Buffy bristled. Mom only called her that when she needed a favour. Between college and Giles acting all weird plus the Riley situation she was feeling pulled in too many directions to be generous.

"Mom?" she echoed the same tone, hoping to forestall the inevitable.

"I know that Slayer stuff is important--"

And here it came.

"but Dawnie still needs school supplies."

Buffy winced, and sighed. "And I'm guessing yellow police tape doesn't count."

Shopping was supposed to be a fun thing with cute clothes or a new CD, basically Buffy Time. School supplies weren't fun time for Buffy – they were more a ...

"Mom, what's important is the school supplies, right?"

A flash of something crossed her Mom's face. "Normally I'm better organized than to leave it like this."

Buffy nodded remembering the stacks of books and binders and pens that would lurk on her desk from the first of August, taunting her with the fact that summer was almost over.

"But not this year." Her mother shrugged and took another sip.

"Budget?" Living on campus last year gave new meaning to that word, even with a food plan.

"Use the credit card, but no matter what she says a leather jacket is not a school supply."

"I don't see why not!" Dawn burst into the kitchen in time to hear that edict. "It's water and spill resistant and warm."

"And Sunnydale requires a warm coat, why?"

"Like you didn't wear Angel's all through high school."

"That was different."

"Because a boy gave it to you?"

"No." Although it kind of was. "I'm the Slayer and leather is like armour."

"Real leather armour was nothing like that jacket."

"Girls!"

The sharpness in Mom's tone shocked Buffy, and by the look of Dawn's face, her sister too.

"Sorry." Mom braced her head in her hand. "Nasty headache. Could you just get Dawn set up for school."  
With that plea, the plan of foisting her sister on Willow, who actually got excited when she found a new colored highlighter, vanished in a puff of smoke.

Even Dawn just nodded.

Sister shopping for school supplies. Yup just another Slayer Saturday.

It didn't take long for their sister accord to break down. "You don't need that."

"Yes I do."

"If I'm lugging your six binders, I say you don't. How many classes are there?"

"It's got pandas!"

"Pandas?" Buffy felt her eyebrow go up in a very Mommish move.

"Pandas." Dawn stood legs shoulder width apart, arms extended with her latest prize.

"Only if you put another one back, Panda girl."

"That's so not fair! Pandas are an endangered species. And—" Dawn twisted her arms as she appeared to be reading. "A share of the profits goes to save them. Charity and school supplies. Ha!"

So not what had been on her Saturday plan. "Fine, but you've got fifteen minutes before we head home, supplies or not."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Dawn didn't even pretend to acknowledge the dead line as she began collecting pens and markers.

Buffy stood at the end of the aisle being buffeted with the other shoppers on the hunt for the report cover. "So should have called Willow."

"Called me why? And look at studious you." Willow's brow wrinkled. "Although I'm not sure if a polka dotted binder really says, 'Give me an A'."

Buffy dropped her burden and enveloped her friend in a hug. "Will, just how I wanted to see!" Looking over Willow's shoulder, she spotted Tara. "Um, hi there!" Untwining herself, she picked up the basket. "Dawn duty," she said by way of explanation.

A wide grin broke across Willow's face.

"Oh the big back to school shop. I used to love that! The smell of freshly sharpened pencils, new math sets   
with protractors and compasses – Xander always borrowed and lost mine—and paper: lined, graphed, spiralled pads—"

"I get the feeling we should have been cruising the stationery aisles."

Buffy's eyes widened as she overheard what Tara muttered.

"Okay, way TMI—and given that gleam in your eyes, not sure you are the right person to wrangle my sister out of her supply induced high. We were almost finished."

That comment was punctuated by a crash and rattle as a wave of pencil crayons headed their way.

"Well you shouldn't put the good stuff on the top shelf."

"Dawn!" Buffy turned to the source of the chaos.

"But they shouldn't. It was the last one and—"

Buffy looked from her protesting sister to the befuddled teen in the ugly store uniform. "We'll just be leaving."

Grabbing her sister's arm, she applied a bit of Slayer strength to facilitate their exit through to the front doors.

"But Buffy."

"Look, give Tara a list. I trust her." Buffy, realizing that Tara actually hadn't volunteered, asked, "You don't mind do you? I think these two need fresh non-bindery air."

"N-not a problem," Tara answered. "I used to do it for my brothers every year."

As Buffy was frog-marching her sister, Dawn called out "Panda binder."

"That's enough out of you! I swear one of these days.."

"Ice cream, anyone?" Willow piped up. "Calciumy goodness for growing bones."

"Sure!"

"Dawn! You just broke the display, do you really think you should be having ice cream."

"Willow just said it was good for me – not like your bones are growing anymore."

"What! I could grow." Buffy turned from Dawn's gleeful expression to Willow's more uncertain one. "I so could grow. Who says this is full Buffy sized?"

"Well, there is always growing out," Dawn pretended to ponder. "Maybe you shouldn't have ice cream."

"That's it. We're heading home. Why wasn't I an only child?"

"You can't." Dawn smirked and mirrored Buffy's crossed armed stance. "Tara isn't here with the supplies and you know Mom will kill you if I don't have them."

At that point Tara arrived. "Here you go?" She stood between them with a bag held out in each hand.

"Fine, ice cream," Buffy sighed again, ignoring Dawn's look of triumph. "Really wish I was an only child."  
#

"And then she knocked over this whole display, in front of one of the clerks!" Buffy stormed through her usual cemetery tour at a fast pace.

"But she's family."

Riley scanned the north and east side of the path, like he always did. Buffy shook her head; patrolling with a partner was still strange. "She's a brat is what she is." Another look around. "There's nothing here. I really need to –"

"We could head back to my place," Riley suggested. "Make use of that single room I've got."

"Can't. Promised Mom I'd help out with cleaning the basement." Buffy shrugged and headed through the gate. "It's like suddenly the 'get to someday' list is now the 'do immediately' list."

"You sure? It's not like there's any action here." Riley moved closer to her. "Not even for a bit?"

She looked up, and gave a small grin. "Maybe for a little bit. Giles didn't say to look out for anything specific tonight."

"It's not Mr. Giles I want to be looking at."

She swatted him playfully, "I hope not. One last cemetery, the one on the way to campus, and we're finished."

"I think we'll just be getting started." His hand began to rub where she'd hit him. "Let's go."

#

It was early. Despite being off the super pills, Riley still got up at six to exercise and, while she enjoyed watching all those muscles work, Buffy opted to head back home.

"Okay, note to self. Mornings sans mochacinnos bad." Buffy thought about heading to her room on campus to change, but figured the basement was dirtier work than patrol. "At least this time there shouldn't be any zombie cats."

Buffy dug out her keys to the front door and opened it quietly. Mom had looked a bit tired; maybe she could make her coffee or something.

As she opened the kitchen door, she saw Dawn drenched in red. Blood? Her heart stopped a second until a sweet vinegary smell hit her nose.

"Dawn!"

"What? It's an experiment in better barbeque sauce. The last one was almost good. Hey, aren't those yesterday's clothes?"

"Speaking of clothes, guess who's learning how to do laundry. Before Mom sees this mess. You can do mine too." Riley was right, family was family. But being a big sister did have some privileges.


End file.
